Basic ingredients: Leiths’ trainedJenny Thomson boasts 20 years of experience as a globe-trotting, private cook and former head chef. She now runs a wide range of cookery lessons in her own homely kitchen in a Victorian manse in Fife. The courses cover both the basics, such as knife skills, sauces, baking and pasta, as well as more specialist areas such as Taste of the Middle East, Cooking with Game and Perfect Puddings. Demo and Dine lunches are for groups of up to ten, but classes in general accommodate a minimum of two and maximum of four participants, allowing for a dedicated one-on-one approach to tuition. Full days are generally around the £100 mark and half a day is £50. Classes involve demonstrations, hands-on cookery – usually making a three-course meal and accompaniments over the course of the day – with everything, including recipes and a light lunch, provided. As if that weren’t enough for such a reasonable price, Thomson also throws in plenty of treats to take home to friends and family.

They say: A down-to-earth, practical approach ensures students have the skills to cook with confidence. So roll up your sleeves and lets get cooking!

We say: The small classes make for a really good learning experience.Jenny’s ethos is simple, local, seasonal food, lessons she learnt while running the former Butterchurn farm shop/restaurant that championed home cooking and Scottish produce. Further proof of her passion for provenance can be found in the organic vegetables that grow in her two-acre garden.